Wednesday, July 02, 2014

Before the 2007 season, Rodriguez asked for permission to use testosterone, which has been banned by baseball since 2003. The (independent program administrator) in ’07 was Bryan W. Smith, a High Point, N.C., physician. (Baseball did not yet have the advisory medical panel.) On Feb. 16, 2007, two days before Rodriguez reported to spring training, Smith granted the exemption, allowing Rodriguez to use testosterone all season.

The exemption was revealed in a transcript of Rodriguez’s fall 2013 grievance hearing. During that proceeding, MLB entered into evidence several exemptions applied for by Rodriguez during his Yankees tenure. In his testimony, MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred called testosterone “the mother of all anabolics” and said that exemptions for the substance are “very rare,” partly because “some people who have been involved in this field feel that with a young male, healthy young male, the most likely cause of low testosterone requiring this type of therapy would be prior steroid abuse.”

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“some people who have been involved in this field feel that with a young male, healthy young male, the most likely cause of low testosterone requiring this type of therapy would be prior steroid abuse.”

I'd thought about this before. MLB wants stars to market. So it would make sense for them to secretly allow some of its top players to use steroids to be bigger stars, while leaving the public with the impression that the current generation of star players is drug free. Not that this means they're doing that; it could be for a legit medical reason here, but here is fuel for the conspiracy theorists.

George Mitchell was always known as a very partisan politician. To think that he might not have brought that quality to the Red Sox is naive in the extreme. We are talking about a man who told lies for a living.

The very notion that George Mitchell would be above such a thing is laughable. However, given that there is no way to look inside the man's head or review the methodology and details of his investigation, I agree that there is not much to be gained in rehashing any of this.

My comment in the leadoff space was just a rejoinder to the snark of the poster, not an opening salvo to a Mitchell report debate.

If you are referring to me, my whole point is that I don't know anything about any clandestine dealings. I just think that given his background and record, the man was clearly quite acquainted with that kind of thing.

I'd thought about this before. MLB wants stars to market. So it would make sense for them to secretly allow some of its top players to use steroids to be bigger stars, while leaving the public with the impression that the current generation of star players is drug free. Not that this means they're doing that; it could be for a legit medical reason here, but here is fuel for the conspiracy theorists.

From This Link first a gratuitious quote for sure to induce snickers....and the the money quote on "plausible deniability"

Rodriguez, ...... applied for two other exemptions in 2008. He was given permission to use Clomid, according to the book, which is prescribed to men who suffer from hypogonadism. But he was denied permission to use human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), which is used for weight loss while also producing testosterone.

"All decisions regarding whether a player shall receive a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) under the Joint Drug Program are made by the Independent Program Administrator (IPA) in consultation with outside medical experts, with no input by either the Office of the Commissioner or the Players Association,'' MLB officials said in a statement. "The process is confidentially administered by the IPA, and MLB and the MLBPA are not even made aware of which players applied for TUEs.

George Mitchell was always known as a very partisan politician. To think that he might not have brought that quality to the Red Sox is naive in the extreme. We are talking about a man who told lies for a living.

The exemption was revealed in a transcript of Rodriguez’s fall 2013 grievance hearing.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the arbitration hearing wasn't a public proceeding and the transcript hasn't been publicly released, has it? Isn't this yet another case of MLB leaking information - in this case, highly personal medical information - that it has promised to keep confidential? Any wonder that players are reluctant to give MLB any confidential or private information?

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the arbitration hearing wasn't a public proceeding and the transcript hasn't been publicly released, has it? Isn't this yet another case of MLB leaking information - in this case, highly personal medical information - that it has promised to keep confidential? Any wonder that players are reluctant to give MLB any confidential or private information?

Yes, exactly. Also, from the article linked in 16, MLB was not supposed to be aware of the identity of players who applied for a TUE.

Seems like MLB "somehow" has access to all this information that is supposed to be confidential. If I were MLBPA, I would have a serious problem with this.

If Mitchell (part-owner of the Red Sox, but I believe he divested himself from the club financially before the investigation) overlooking Ortiz (The Manny wrinkle is new to me) is a crazy conspiracy theory, that brings my conspiracy-believin' to one.

It's one of them deep philosophical conundrums. ARod has admitted to using PEDs prior to testing ... I don't recall when he admitted it. But pre-testing usage -- y'know, when it wasn't against the rules of baseball -- led to a sustained under-production of certain hormones or other medical issues, why shouldn't a player have been eligible for a TUE? Whether that under-production was caused by previous steroid use or not seems immaterial unless it could be shown that the previous usage occurred after it became against the rules. (Questions about who would have the burden of proof exist.)

So I don't necessarily have a problem with MLB having issued some TUEs to ARod as long as they applied the same standards as they did to others who applied. And even if they granted ARod an exemption when they denied other players under similar circumstances, I might well decide the proper solution to that would have been to grant them to the other players rather than treat ARod "fairly" by denying his.

Also ... under the BBWAA/BBTF anti-roid wing sponsored Restorative Usage Act of 2004, shouldn't such usage be allowed?

Love to see the list of all pro athletes with exemptions for ADD drugs, etc, etc etc.

I did read a while ago that 98% of triathletes are listed as asthmatic so they can use those puffer things which expand your lungs. Apparently this helps heaps just before the swim leg(beginning of the race).

George Mitchell was always known as a very partisan politician. To think that he might not have brought that quality to the Red Sox is naive in the extreme. We are talking about a man who told lies for a living.

The very notion that George Mitchell would be above such a thing is laughable. However, given that there is no way to look inside the man's head or review the methodology and details of his investigation, I agree that there is not much to be gained in rehashing any of this.

I came here hoping for Centaur jokes or some world class snark. I got a little of both, but not as much as I hoped. Sadly I have no original Centaur jokes. Sigh. I should do some research or prep work. It used to be so easy. The past was full of greener pastures. Nah, too easy.

1. Why was Arod granted an exemption in 2007 but not in subsequent years.

2. What was the purpose of this leak.

3. If MLB can prove that Arod fraudulently was granted an exemption, this could be grounds for another suspension, which could be a lifetime ban.

4. If Arods application was legit, yet MLB changed its policy to allow further exemptions after his MONSTER 2007 year, then Arod would be forced to play baseball with a testosterone deficiency. This is a serious condition for an athlete and it could be career ending since PED's are no longer an option for Arod.

5. Yankees and Arod could theoretically claim Arod is medically unfit to play baseball. Arod collects his full salary. Yankees collect insurance. Arods AAV removed from the Yankees LT calculations. That would be HUGE and perhaps the leak is to prepare the road for this.

5. Yankees and Arod could theoretically claim Arod is medically unfit to play baseball. Arod collects his full salary. Yankees collect insurance. Arods AAV removed from the Yankees LT calculations. That would be HUGE and perhaps the leak is to prepare the road for this.

5. Yankees and Arod could theoretically claim Arod is medically unfit to play baseball. Arod collects his full salary. Yankees collect insurance. Arods AAV removed from the Yankees LT calculations. That would be HUGE and perhaps the leak is to prepare the road for this.

It's possible that hypothesis could have merit even if the insurer doesn't pay; A-Rod getting paid while the Yankees get his contract removed from their luxury tax calculation may be a deal worth considering for all parties.

The only problem is, what evidence do we have that Bud wants to help the Yankees get A-Rod off their luxury tax? That intuitively seems like something the players' union would want and MLB would be opposed to. After all, the luxury tax money goes straight into Bud's personal slush fund, which for all we know he spends on a 500 square foot private bathroom with a solid gold toilet and the walls papered with $100 bills.

If sticking your head in a pig could make you a better ballplayer, does anyone here doubt for a second that Arod would be the first guy to go for it?

No. But by the same token if sticking your head in a pig--and leaking that info to the press--could make you seem anti-ARod and tough on PEDs Selig would be at the head of the line and asking whether he shouldn't stick his head in multiple breeds, domesticated and wild, just to be sure.

Amazed that no one has mentioned the quality of that 2007 Arod season yet.

He was unbelievably good -- best year of his career? Best ever season for right-handed batter in NYY history? And pretty much zero chance the Yanks make the playoffs that year without him.

Talk about good timing for an opt-out, because he not only leveraged it for that historically bad contract, but it was before the economy tanked and the Yankees were looking ahead to their shiny new stadium, which they wanted to fill with superstars.

#46 Says something about how good ARod is that you can agree on the unbelievably good and also add that it's indistinguishable in value from his 2005. And that on balance he was better in 2000 (slightly less offensive value, more defensive value) and roughly equal in value in 1996.

You know, it seemed to me somehow my indifference was relevant to the discussion, and I suppose upon reflection and a night's rest that really isn't the case. Sorry about that.

I disagree. If people are going to comment on what a controversial hot-button topic this is (see Post 4), it's valid for others to point out that it's boring and ultimately inconsequential. Besides, I agree with you: Between A-Rod burnout and a recognition that nothing is going to come of this, I find it hard to be interested in the subject.

1. Why was Arod granted an exemption in 2007 but not in subsequent years.

A-Rod did not seek an exemption for testosterone in subsequent years, at least according to the book. He sought (and got) an exemption for Clomid in 2008, which can stimulate the production of testosterone.

2. What was the purpose of this leak.

The purpose of acquiring the information from arbitration transcripts was to write a book. It's unclear who has the transcripts, and therefore who leaked them, and therefore what the purpose of the leak was. I'll assume whoever leaked them knew this book was being written. Whether this book is laudatory of MLB, or critical of them, remains to be seen. It almost certainly isn't laudatory of A-Rod, but much of the MLBPA isn't laudatory of A-Rod at this point, either.

3. If MLB can prove that Arod fraudulently was granted an exemption, this could be grounds for another suspension, which could be a lifetime ban.

It might be true that fraud to gain an exemption could itself be a violation of the JDA, but it's extremely unlikely that MLB would be able to prove he had done so.

4. If Arods application was legit, yet MLB changed its policy to allow further exemptions after his MONSTER 2007 year, then Arod would be forced to play baseball with a testosterone deficiency. This is a serious condition for an athlete and it could be career ending since PED's are no longer an option for Arod.

Exemptions aren't up to MLB. And the IPA did grant A-Rod an exemption in 2008 for a drug to stimulate production of testosterone, but not exemptions for everything he applied for.

5. Yankees and Arod could theoretically claim Arod is medically unfit to play baseball. Arod collects his full salary. Yankees collect insurance. Arods AAV removed from the Yankees LT calculations. That would be HUGE and perhaps the leak is to prepare the road for this.

A-Rod is medically fit to play baseball. He might play poorly, and he might be more likely to injure himself, and he might be slow to heal. But from an insurance perspective that's still "fit to play". I don't see any solution for the Yankees that involves insurance payments for A-Rod's salary. Either he retires, or he doesn't. Either he's traded to a team that will eat his salary, or he's not.

lifetime ban ... leaving aside any potential violation, the arbitrator's logic was that ARod was guilty of three first-time violations. It took a lot of language parsing -- which in the end I think I agreed with given how unclear the JDA is in some sections -- but he did hold that the notification clause holds but it does not provide carte blanche coverage for multiple violations involving different substances.

Seems to me that any ARod violation at this point is a 2nd offense, not a 3rd.

There are one or two here that believe Papi and Manny juiced while on the Sox and that Mitchell knew, and overlooked it. Never mind that Mitchell could only investigate the leads he actually had.

As I pointed out at the time, Mitchell didn't "investigate" any leads at all; rather, he took what was handed to him by the government. He made virtually no effort to talk to people who were not handed to him -- even though every single person not in the MLBPA, from front office to on-field personnel, could be compelled under threat of punishment by MLB to speak to him.